PLAYER OF THE DAY: Coco Gauff – six months after sending Venus Williams crashing out of Wimbledon in the first round, the 15-year-old proved lighting does strike twice with another stunning 7-6 (7-5) 6-3 boilover.
STAT OF THE DAY: Roger Federer extended his incredible record of not losing a first-round match at a grand slam to 63 straight majors with a straight-sets defeat of Steve Johnson.
QUOTE OF THE DAY: “We decided he couldn’t come to the Australian Open because he would be mobbed way too much.” Global sporting megastar Serena Williams on why she won’t be catching up with her new bestie, Richmond’s Dustin Martin, during her time in footy-mad Melbourne.
TOURNAMENT SUMMARY: Eighth seed Matteo Berrettini and former semi-finalist Grigor Dimitrov joined Federer in the second round, but 13th seed Denis Shapovalov and felloy young gun Borna Coric were seeded casualties from the men’s event. While her big sister Venus crashed out, Serena, with a 6-0 6-3 rout of Marie Bouzkova, along with third-seeded titleholder Naomi Osaka and 2018 champion Caroline Wozniacki, all cruised into the women’s second round.